Planetary Guardian Escapades
by vkanimeluver632
Summary: A series of random oneshots based around Hotaru and Raven from my other stories which may be referenced later on in my other stories more information inside. Pairings are HotaruxZero and RavenxFakir.
1. Fake Proposal

**Planetary Guardian Escapades**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu, Sailor Moon or Vampire Knight or any other anime that I reference in this oneshot all I own are the poor random ocs that are used for reactions to various escapades**

 **So hey guys I'm baaaaaaack! I know I've been gone for a while for many personal reasons and the main one that I will now admit was that I just couldn't get back into writing. But now I'm back and I'm all fired up. Anyway my main problem was that I just couldn't find any inspiration for my writing and to get back into it I recently came across this tumblr auseverywhere which gave me lots of interesting ideas for oneshots that I could write about my fav characters Hotaru and Raven and possibly characters that will feature in my upcoming fics. Anyway the pairings will be the same as for my other stories HotaruxZero and RavenxFakir I will also be posting snippets from my other upcoming stories. Please note that generally the oneshots that I will be posting will occur after the couples get together unless stated otherwise and most of them will generally just be funny escapades between the two besties that are Hotaru and Raven that I will reference in my stories later on although there will be a great many set in different mundane universes. The oneshots won't be too long maybe 1-2k words long depending on my mood. So without further ado lets get started fam**

 **AU PROMPT – Did you and your obvious friend just fake propose to get a free meal AU**

Tamaki sighed as he pulled once more at the stiff collar of his shirt frowning at the uncomfortable feeling of it choking him.

"Cheer up Tamaki" called out his friend Mike as he set another pile of dirty dishes down into the sink to be cleaned "just two more hours to go and we're home free."

He then left the kitchen, writing pad in hand silently cursing his father to hell for making him work at this stupid restaurant as approached the first table he saw. Seated at the table covered were two beautiful young women who looked to be around 20 years old conversing happily. The first one had her ebony black hair in a waterfall braid cascading elegantly down her back. Her ice blue eyes sparkling with mischief were lined with kohl. She wore a long sleeved white and silver patterned lace dress and nude heels. Dangling from her ears were silver earrings shaped like dream catchers with white and brown feathers. Clasped around her long neck was a black choker with three feathers, white, yellow and brown.

The other girl who Tamaki silently thought was cuter had peculiar long black hair that glimmered purple swirled into an elegant braided bun with choppy pieces of hair framing her elfish face. She wore an off the shoulder black dress that fell to her knees covered in a swirling gold pattern with black platform pumps. Smokey dark eyeshadow made her sparkling amethyst eyes stand out as she giggled with her friend. Golden six pointed stars dangled from her eyes and a simple amethyst pendant in the shape of the symbol of the planet Saturn hung on a simple golden chain around her neck.

"…I can't believe you're making me do this…."

"….Come on it's not that bad…"

"-that bad its embarrassing! Not to mention its stupid…."

"Raven you promised that you'd do this with me… I am not letting you back out this time..."

The broken snatches of conversation that Tamaki managed to make out dwindled to a close as he neared their table, sighing he made a small fake smile that made his cheeks hurt like his father told him to (Tamaki you need to smile when you greet the customers! You can't glare at them we'll lose business!) as he greeted them.

"Good evening ladies I am Tamaki your waiter for this evening. What would you like for drinks this evening?"

Both of them simply ordered green tea and a pitcher of iced water with salad for starters. The ebony haired girl (Raven he later found out) ordered yu-dofu gozen (Yuba tofu-skin, tofu and vegetables simmered in hot dashi broth and dipped in a special sauce that Tamaki's father refused to divulge the secret of) and the purple haired girl (Hotaru) ordered wagyu sukiyaki (wagyu beef hotpot with udon noodles and vegetables).

"Thank you ladies will that be all?" glancing at the clock that he could see in through the tiny window in the door to the kitchen he cursed once more as he realised that he still had an hour and forty minutes to go.

"No could I have your number as well?" Hotaru gave an exaggerated wink.

"Fireflyyyyyyyyyy its our third anniversary you promised you wouldn't flirt with anyone but me tonight" pouted Raven dramatically at her friend.

"Unfortunately my lady that is one thing I can't give" Tamaki responded drily as he took their menus back, tucking them underneath his right arm he strode back to the kitchen. Behind him he could still here the chatter of the two amusing girls.

"REJECTED!" cackled Raven at her friend who pouted playfully.

"Come on you thought he was cute too" Hotaru shot back.

"Yeah I'm taken not blind. Still he was a bit too broody for my taste. So that's the new boy that Mina kept on trying to hook you up with he seems interesting" Raven smirked.

"He may be cute but as I've told you guys countless times I am never going to go on a date that you guys set up. Who knows what weirdo you guys will come up with" she shuddered playfully to which Raven maturely responded by sticking her tongue out.

"So" Hotaru smirked at her best friend "you ready? We're doing it straight after we get our dessert right?"

"Fine" Raven rolled her eyes "but come on this seems pretty excessive don't you think?"

"Come on it will be awesome and remember you promised, can't back out now besides I forgot my wallet at home so we'd have to do it anyway" Hotaru grinned.

After almost 20 minutes of playful bantering their conversation ceased when their food was brought out by Tamaki. Once they had finished with the main course Tamaki again brought out the menus for dessert.

"I don't know I don't feel like I have much of a sweet tooth tonight what about you Firefly" Raven started as she gazed at the menu.

"You're more than sweet enough for me Raven" Hotaru winked "but I think I'll have the green tea ice-cream with a shot of green tea poured over it".

"Awesome I'll have the same thanks Tamaki" Raven agreed as they ordered.

As they ate the ice-cream to further cement their plans they reached over to take bites of each other's desserts and shamelessly flirted. After they finished with their food Tamaki once again came over to take away their dirty plates when Hotaru after delicately wiping her mouth stood up stating that she had an announcement catching the attention of many of the other patrons of the restaurant.

"Raven, we've been partners for three years now and we've had fun and made so many fantastic memories and I can't imagine doing this with anyone else" Raven had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing barely managing to keep a straight face as she schooled her facial features into as much of an enamoured expression as she could muster "we live together, fight together and do basically everything together. You're the best partner I could ever have."

Hotaru then went down on one knee and reached into her black purse that had been sitting on the table and pulled out a red velvet box and opened it to reveal a simple elegant silver band with a diamond on it.

"So Raven will you marry me?"

"Yes yes a thousand times yes!" Raven exclaimed almost bursting out laughing as she couldn't believe that his was happening which further made it seem as if she was about to burst with joy as she took the ring and placed it on her left ring finger and reached down to help pull Hotaru to her feet to the applause of many other people seated in the restaurant. At this Mike came out of the kitchen and told them in commemoration of this joyous occasion they were allowed to have this meal on the house which they gratefully accepted.

Later that night after he finished his shift Tamaki exited the restaurant and shivering shuffled over to his car. In the dark streets barely illuminated by various street lights he came across two familiar figures.

"I believe you want this ring back Hota" Raven laughed as she pulled off the silver band and tossed it at her friend who had burst out laughing.

"I still can't believe it worked" she wheezed out of breathe as she continued to laugh clutching her stomach.

Raven just stood next to her best friend shaking her head.

"I can't believe that we just did a fake proposal to get a free meal."

 **Thanks again for reading guys the next chapter of Angel of Silence is almost done and hopefully will be posted soon and of course if there is a particular oneshot you wish to read just review and I'll see what I can do so long as it stays true to the pairing.**

 **Vkanimeluver632**


	2. Can I sit here?

**Planetary Guardian Escapades**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu, Sailor Moon or Vampire Knight or any other anime that I reference in this oneshot all I own are the poor random ocs that are used for reactions to various escapades**

 **This is a sneak peak for the next chapter of Angel of Silence**

"Hey you're Zero Kiryu correct?"

Zero was picking at his food with a fork as he glared sullenly at the chipped and scratched wooden table top now and then forcing himself to take a bite of rice and egg when he heard a soft musical voice interrupting his thoughts. He looked up into a curious pair of amethyst eyes staring at him from beneath her long dark lashes.

"Sorry" she smiled nervously scratching the back of neck with her left hand "I didn't mean to disturb you it's just I'm new here and all of the other tables are packed. Is it all right if I sit here?"

Taking his silence as a yes she sat down across from him gracefully eating her rice with a pair of chopsticks. She raised a dainty hand to her mouth before letting out a harsh grating cough.

"I apologise, my health is quite fragile and I haven't taken my meds yet and I think I caught something from my friend Raven. Thanks for letting me sit here. Raven's sick and the table my roommate is sitting at is full. You were the only one recognised from the introduction the headmaster gave us" slipped out of her crimson lips softly hesitant to break the fragile silence surrounding them. Reaching into the bag next to her she pulled out a single tablet and popped into her mouth before gulping down her sweet orange juice quickly. Swiftly finishing her meal she gathered her things, put what remained of her dishes on the trolley in the corner of the food hall end exited silently.

Outside looking up at the warm sunshine she let a soft _true_ smile grace her face.

 _ZERO! Why are you doing sitting here all by yourself you big jerk!_

'Thanks Zero" she whispered gratefully.

 **Til next time guys please remember to review**

 **Vkanimeluver632**


	3. Messing around with magic

**Planetary Guardian Escapades**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, Naruto Vampire Knight or Shokugeki no Soma**

 **Au prompt: Did you seriously just fuck around with dark magic and then come to me for help**

 **Note: This story is set in Crystal Tokyo with vampires from the night class visiting her and is inspired by me considering having people visit Crystal Tokyo post reveal but I may change my mind on that later**

 **Warning: language**

"Did you seriously just fuck around with dark magic and then come to me for help?" Raven deadpanned looking at the two blonde idiots in front of her from where she was lying in bed sick.

'How in the name of Hades exactly did you guys do this to yourselves in the first place?" she asked as she began further examining the mess that they had gotten themselves into.

 _2 hours earlier_

"And this is the main living room/library" Hotaru announced as Hanabusa and Takuma followed her as she escorted them on a tour of her mansion.

The entire mansion is quite modern and has a homey feel to it on the inside a contrast to the gothic outlook of the outside. The living room is covered in a soft dark carpet with a modern looking dark brown couch facing the TV which is located at the back wall. And a second one on the left side of the TV facing the right wall, facing opposite the second couch on the other side is a comfy blue armchair with a purple cushion. Connected to the TV are a variety of game consoles and karaoke machines in a giant entertainment unit. Behind the armchair is a wall covered in bookshelves filled to the brim with DVDs, games and books in between large tinted windows looking outside to the front of the property. On the other side of the living room there is a set of sliding glass doors leading out to the garden behind the mansion.

All of a sudden Hotaru's communicator began to vibrate and Hotaru apologised as she opened it to be met with the face of Sailor Mercury.

"Hotaru where are you?! You're late the delegate from Chuu is arriving in half an hour!" the blue haired ice warrior exclaimed causing Hotaru to pale as she realised she had forgotten all about the diplomatic talks she was supposed to attend this afternoon.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry I'll be there right away sorry" she apologised profoundly before closing her communicator and spinning around.

"Sorry guys I really have to go Usa-mama is going to kill me for being late again. You guys can just hang around in the living room if you want just be careful I haven't fully sorted through all of the stuff in here. Raven is upstairs in her room so just call her down if you need help with anything" she said before quickly taking out her transformation wand and transformed into Eternal Sailor Saturn "I'll try to be back as soon as possible bye guys."

With that the senshi of death and rebirth disappeared in a violet light leaving the two young vampires alone. Takuma and Hanabusa turned to each other after she disappeared not really sure what to do now. Shrugging they both trotted over to the bookshelves and began searching through them for anything interesting to do. Takuma rejoiced as he found the latest volume of a manga that Hotaru had recently introduced him too called 'Shokugeki no Soma'. All of a sudden Aido called Takuma over with a small charcoal coloured book in his hand. The leather cover was faded and had no writing on it. Scratched on the thick pages in ink were instructions for various spells and enchantments in an unknown language.

"Look Takuma it's a book of magic!" he pointed at the various rituals and enchantments. Together they began to pour over the pages trying to decipher them with the help of several other books they snatched from the shelves.

"I think that this sentence translates to 'out of body experience'" Takuma said pointing at a particular ink stained page.

"Yeah I think you're right I think that spell is meant to invoke visions of out of body experiences so maybe it shows past lives or the future" Aido agreed excitedly.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Takuma asked mischievously to which Aido nodded in return. Glancing around to make sure that no one would disturb them they began to haltingly chant the words scratched onto the page eager to find out what would happen as they became surrounded in a violet light.

 _Back to the present_

"And that's what happened" Takuma said scratching the back of his neck awkwardly as he handed the book to Raven to let her take a look at it.

"Damn she's going to kill you" Raven whistled recognising the faded leather bound book in her hand "that's Hotaru's personal book of shadows."

"What are you talking about? Look can you please help us?" Aido begged desperately his puppy dog eyes pleading at her.

"Ok fine" Raven conceded "a book of shadows is a witch's personal book of spells that she has gathered and created over the course of her life. They are very protective of them. Hotaru in particular, she must have forgotten to renew the protective enchantments over it. So which spell were you trying again?"

Takuma silently opened the book to the page that they had been translating and Raven began to read the details of the spell that they had cast before bursting out laughing.

"Well the good news is that you guys actually performed the spell correctly which is actually pretty cool considering that this is written in Saturnian. The bad news is that when she wrote 'out of body experience' she meant it literally. This spell is based on the Yamanaka mind transfer jutsu except instead of simply having your soul leave your body to take over the target you swap souls. It says here it's mainly meant to be used to help escape capture by swapping souls with a guard so that you can get a layout of the base that you are being kept in or for reconnaissance" Raven translated.

"Ok" Aido's body projecting the mannerisms and speech of Takuma who was possessing it still unnerved Raven "but you can help us fix this right before Hotaru gets back?!"

"I'm not sure I mean this is Saturnian magic its generally pretty hard to reverse and I specialise in black and white magic that's used in combat. This is pretty ancient stuff not to mention you have to be Saturnian to use it so good news is that one or both of you are reincarnated Saturnians or have Saturnian blood in you so you did sort of learn something about you're past lives" Raven began pretending to furrow her eyebrows to mess with the two boys.

"Come on pretty please Raven" Aido said although his puppy dog pout didn't work nearly as well on Takuma's body "We need to fix this I mean I have a date with Yori tomorrow! She can't see me like this!"

"Look I'm sorry if I could help you guys I would but there's no counter spell written in here and I'm not a Saturnian so I can't just engineer a spell that would reverse this. You're just going to have to wait for Hotaru to come back and help you with this" Raven told them flatly in between a coughing fit.

"Well Hotaru said that she had to go meet the delegations from Chuu" Aido began desperately "so when do you think she'll be back?!"

"I'm not sure can you guys pass me my phone and the glass of water on that desk over there?" she said still coughing.

After Takuma passed Raven her phone she swiped through a couple of messages from friends telling her to feel better when her phone beeped with a message from Hotaru.

 _Hotaru: Hey Raven the boys probably told you but I needed to go to a meeting with the delegations from Chuu. Unfortunately I won't be home until tomorrow turns out I have to attend a banquet tonight as well. I hope you're feeling better and tell the boys I'm sorry they can stay in any of the guest rooms in the mansion there are blood tablets in the pantry. I hope you feel better soon the medicine that Ami prescribed you is in the kitchen and I'll see you guys tomorrow_

"Well the bad news is that Hotaru won't be home till tomorrow" Raven read the message out loud to the two increasingly distraught boys.

"What?!" Aido exclaimed "but-"

"No buts" Raven cut him off angrily coughing "you guys got yourselves in this mess, messing around with Hotaru's stuff. You can wait until tomorrow for Hotaru to get home and help you guys. Now could one of you please get me my medicine? It's on the counter in the kitchen downstairs."

After that Takuma got Raven her medicine and the two boys left to go get some blood tablets downstairs to drink. Once they were gone Raven began to text Hotaru about what happened with the blonde idiots.

 _Hotaru: Serves those boys right for fucking around with dark magic and messing with my stuff in the first place I told them to be careful these are the consequences ;)_

 **And with that heres another oneshot for Planetary Guardian escapades I haven't started writing the next chapter of Angel of Silence yet but it should be up soon and please remember to review guys**

 **Vkanimeluver632**


	4. Ghosts

**Ghosts**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Vampire Knight**

 **AN: Sneak peek for upcoming stories and chapters Hotaru can see spirits**

Once she awakened fully Hotaru regained many of her old abilities. She could heal almost every injury and disease. She could destroy the world simply by dropping her weapon. However as the guardian of the midnight gate she had another ability one that she kept hidden from everyone including Raven. Hotaru could see the souls of the departed that still lingered in this world. Not many people did, most choose to go on to the afterlife. But remnants still remain.

 **Ichiru**

'Hello your highness' smirked a silver haired young man who bowed mockingly toward her.

'Ichiru' she breathed the first time she saw the ghost following his brother around.

'Have you come to collect my soul too guardian?' he asked.

'That's Thanatos' job not mine' she said bluntly refusing to look him in the eye. Ichiru and Zero were identical in almost every way and it hurt to look at the face of the man she loved even though it was a different soul.

'That doesn't stop you. Come on I've heard the stories. The Angel of Silence that's what they call you. You help guide souls to the afterlife. So tell me guardian why am I still here. Why can't I be with Shizuka?' he demanded.

'When Zero drank your blood he devoured your very essence. Your souls have always been entwined from birth ever since he refused to kill you in the womb. You can't move on he took all of your strength' she admitted looking him dead in the eye.

 **The Hooded Woman**

The first time that Hotaru held the Bloody Rose since she returned was the first time she felt it. This was no ordinary weapon. It was imbued with the soul of the hooded woman that she had glimpsed in Kaname's memories. All vampire weapons including her Artemis Rod were created from this woman she could tell but this was the first time meeting her soul.

'Who are you' she demanded ignoring the curious glances of those around her watching her speak to empty air.

There in front of her was the transparent drab grey ancient soul of a young looking woman standing solemnly before her. Her hair was partially braided underneath the hood that she donned and she wore practical leggings.

'Watch over him for me he can be quite stubborn' she murmured with a warm sad smile as looked at Kaname.

'Tell him that I'll wait for him.'

 **Shizuka Hio**

This was the most surprising of the ghosts when Hotaru wandered into the rooms that had been vacated since the pureblood vampire's death. As beautiful as the day she had died the lingering soul stared out the window.

'Why are you still here? You can be with the man you love now' Hotaru asked gently coming to stand next to her.

'Did I really love him? I do not know why I remain here. A lingering soul wandering for all eternity' the elegant woman admitted.

'You know you are just as twisted as I was when I killed his humanity and he hated me with every fibre of his being. I wonder how much more he would hate you if he found out the truth' Shizuka breathed.

'You're wrong' Hotaru interrupted before turning to leave the room.

'I'm a million times worse than you ever were' she whispered to the lingering soul of the woman that she had so hated when she was human.

 **Please remember to review**

 **Vkanimeluver632**


	5. Memorial Stone

**Planetary Guardian**

 **I was listening to sad anime songs and this kind of popped into my head so yeah enjoy guys**

 **Disclaimer: don't own Sailor Moon or Vampire Knight**

 **Memorial Stone**

Hotaru has a lot of experience with death.

Well that's not exactly a surprise considering that she's a guardian of the midnight gate and her younger brother was the god of the dead. However one thing that not many people realise about her is that she _is a soldier_.

She's dirtied her hands with the blood of her enemies, made orphans of children and widows of wives. And she's experienced loss. Oh how Hotaru has lost so many friends and family.

From a young age in her first life she was an outcast. She was the royal princess of Saturnia and it wasn't exactly a secret that as the soldier of silence she was destined for destruction. Even in later lives the aura of death surrounded her like a cloak.

Hotaru tried to fight this and shape her own destiny.

'I'm the soldier of rebirth' she cried to those that treated with her scorn 'I help those that have died to find peace'.

'Look I can heal not just kill' she would say with glowing hands covered with the energy to knit bone and skin back together just like new.

But centuries of harsh treatment made her cynical by the time she reached her third life. Again she was cursed to a life of blood.

A demon

A monster

So she accepted their insults as the truth. She learnt to not look away from the sight of the life draining out of her enemies.

'You're right I am a monster' her broken eyes would say silently as her glaive cut them down.

And most of all she vowed that she would never forget the sins that she committed.

Not many people know but in Titan Castle is a large memorial stone covered in the names of every person that has ever lived and died.

And hidden in the garden behind the Saturnian mansion was a similar stone. After every battle Hotaru would painstakingly carve the name of every being that she was forced to destroy in the name of _peace_ and _love_ and _justice_.

Every night she would sit in front of the memorial stone tracing the names of those that she had wronged in the most vicious way. It was proof that she was every bit the murderer that they called her.

 _Yuki Kuran_

Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when we first practice to deceive.

 **Please remember to review guys it means so much to me**

 **Vkanimeluver632**


	6. Fairy Tales

**Planetary Guardian Escapades**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu**

 **I feel like Raven needs more love seeing as I'm aiming to finish writing Angel of Silence first so here's a few snippets and spoilers for Raven x Fakir in My Name is Raven**

Naïve

Trusting

Ditzy

All adjectives that were used to describe Raven once long ago when she was a duck girl named Ahiru dancing for her life. But she knows better now she tells the knight with a smile as cold as ice. The ice that forms at the edges of the lake behind the academy every year – the slightest touch will shatter it pieces.

The self-mockery that seeps into her voice is savage and her laugh is bitter like betrayal.

'Promises are lies that can be broken so easily' she accuses him with ice blue eyes filled with unshed tears thinking of long past memories of a bubbly girl with pink hair that danced a pas de deux with a knight so long ago.

'I believe in fairy tales' she tells him once as they sit side by side feeding the birds that gather at the lake remembering the story of the prince and the raven.

'Really?' he asks in surprise considering the cynical side that she only showed in private hidden under a mask of smiles and giggles.

Yes Raven believes in fairy tales. The original ones not the Disney movies. Her favourite is the story of the little mermaid which she relates to the most. The story of a young naïve girl that loved a man so much that she gave up everything for him. A girl that stood over the sleeping forms of her love and his lover and decided to spare them and gave her life in return for theirs. A girl who willingly walked into the cold ocean waters that had once been her home and became part of it once more as sea foam. Raven believes in fairy tales but she doesn't believe in most happy endings.

'Although I don't believe in knights in shining armour coming to save the day' she says mockingly to hide the hurt memory of a time when she did believe in them 'and I certainly don't believe in prince charmings that save the day with a single kiss.'

'What's your biggest fear?' he once asked in a game of twenty questions.

'Being alone again' she says in a voice that is as quiet as the grave 'that this is all a dream and I'll wake up by myself along and forgotten again.'

Fakir grabs her hand with a soft smile that if she was still a naïve trusting girl would have returned immediately.

She still doesn't trust people like she did once but she's getting there she thinks as she looks out at the lake that she had once called home.

'Hey Fakir have you heard of the story of Princess Tutu?' she begins as she breaks the comfortable silence.

Raven may believe in fairy tales but she chose not to be like the little mermaid. She decided not to wither but to walk on knives for the rest of her life the day she took Hotaru's hand. She may not have found a prince charming in Mytho but that's ok he and Rue belonged together.

She chose to make her own story and no matter the pain she wouldn't have it any other way.

'Once upon a time there was a duck….'

 **Until next time guys please review it means so much to me**

 **Vkanimeluver632**


	7. People Lie All The Time

**Planetary Guardian Escapades**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight or Princess Tutu**

 **Sorry I haven't updated in a while I guess I've just been procrastinating due to the holidays but I'll try to get a chapter out for AOS by this weekend because I wont be able to update for a while afterwards due to finals.**

 **This is based on the five word prompt – people lie all the time**

Kaname raised his hand to knock on the large set of heavy looking double doors carved out of what looked to be a mix of black tourmaline and onyx. Protective runes were carved in Saturnian silver in the doorway and the amethyst Saturn signia shone proudly in the darkly lit hallway. There was no handle on the doors and he waited patiently for a few seconds in silence before the doors smoothly swung open with ease.

The chambers seemed to be carved out of smooth glossy black marble the vampire hunter noted. On the right wall there was a large fireplace with what looked to be green fire crackling softly, casting haunting shadows around the room. In front of the fireplace was a glass coffee table covered in various notes and papers. A small cauldron filled with various herbs and plants laid on top of the papers. Facing the coffee table and fire place is a white leather couch covered in various dark blue and purple cushions. On the far back wall of the room he saw a large white window seat that looked down onto the back garden with hazy see through light purple curtains covering the glass windows as protection from the harsh light of the sun. Lying precariously on top of the cushions of the window seat is a sketchbook filled with charcoal drawings, the pencil lying next to it on the stained white cushions from the dust of the pencil.

The young purple haired girl sat elegantly on the window seat, hands folded gently in her lap. Her head was turned looking out into the garden below and she barely seemed to notice his presence. Taking her silence as invitation to enter Kaname strode into the room. Sensing his movements she gracefully turned her head towards him, amethyst eyes piercing through the dimly lit room, the only light coming from the crackling fireplace. She gracefully waved her left hand and caused multiple candles all around the room to flicker to life with an unseen power.

"I suppose you have some questions for me don't you?" she broke the stifling silence first.

"Yes I do Yuki-" Kaname began.

"Don't" she cut him off "please don't call me Yuki. My name is Hotaru."

" _Hotaru_ " Kaname began softly "what happened to you?"

"Many things have happened to me since I left that night brother" meeting his eyes with an icy stare.

"Forgive me I'm being rude" her eyes softened and she gestured towards the couch "please take a seat Kaname."

Walking over to the couch he swiftly took a seat.

"Why did you leave?"

Crimson lips twitched at his question.

"I would have thought that it was obvious _brother_ " she began slowly as if mocking him "I left because I didn't want to be there anymore."

"What happened to my sweet innocent Yuki?" he questioned.

"She was devoured alive by a vampire of course" the saturnian girl in front of him stated bluntly not blinking as she caught the barest of winces from the man in front of her.

"Why did you lie to me" he asked.

A bitter laugh bubbled from her lips, amethyst eyes flashing dangerously "I never lied brother."

"Juri and Haruka gave you the name Yuki. I was there, that name was a sign of their love for you but you choose to cast it away. _Juri_ _gave her life for you_ " Kaname stated "that's your real name."

"Perhaps it was what I was given in this lifetime" Hotaru admitted "but it's not my real name."

"Then who are you _Hotaru?_ " the tasted bitter in his mouth as he stared at the woman who had once agreed to give her life to him.

"I've acquired many names over the centuries Kaname" she began to slowly walk towards him like a predator stalking her prey.

"…Demon…"

Another step

"…Witch…"

Another

"…Monster…"

Another

"…Hotaru Tomoe…"

Another

"…Yuki Cross…"

The purple haired girl stood in front of him, a small frown gracing her lips.

"…Yuki Kuran…"

All of a sudden the shadows swarmed over her small form covering her in their dark embrace. A purple light emanated from the dark cocoon before it dissipated seconds later. Hotaru wore a flowing floor length dark purple gown and purple elbow length gloves and shining proudly on her brow was the Saturn insignia glowing with lavender light. Holding out her hand she summoned a glave, a foreboding weapon that was a foot taller than her.

"People lie all the time its human nature" she smiled at him softly "but I never truly lied. Half-truths at times maybe but I never lied. My name is Princess Hotaru Rhea Saturnia crown princess of Saturn the planet of death and rebirth. I am the messiah of silence and guardian of the midnight gate."

"I told you who I am Kaname" the unearthly creature in front of him began "I answered your questions. But I have one for you. Consider it equivalent exchange. Who is the hooded woman that gave up her heart to create the vampire hunter weapons and whose soul haunts the Bloody Rose?"

 **I don't actually know what happened this one just kind of wrote itself. Originally it was going to be Kaien confront her but I don't know it sounded better having it be Kaname the king of manipulating others accusing her of lies and deceit. Hopefully I can write some more things soon and remember to review guys.**

 **Vkanimeluver632**


	8. Memories or ghosts?

**Planetary Guardian Escapades**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, Vampire Knight or Princess Tutu**

 **Ok so I've further planned out what I'm going to be doing in Angel of Silence which actually may be longer than 30 chapters now that ive sort of created story arcs may actually become separate books if it becomes too long.. This is going to be in the second arc of the story and this scene is set in Titan Castle on Saturn.**

 **Five word prompt – "actually…I just miss you"**

 **Ok so summary of this oneshot is that they are on Saturn for some reason in Titan Castle and people are visited by shades of Hotaru who either mocking, giving advice or just scenes from her past**

 **I've been inspired by the idea that Titan Castle is a spiritual place where being haunted by the ghosts of the past is more than just a saying**

* * *

"Sorry guys that took a lot out of me but we should be able to rest for a bit" Sailor Saturn said as she gently floated down to the ground in front of them where Princess Tutu caught her before she collapsed fully. The unconscious warrior was enveloped in a lavender light in a bright flash before returning to her civilian form.

"She'll be fine" Princess Tutu glared with ice blue eyes warning the others not to get too close as she cradled her best friend gently. Picking Hotaru up with surprising strength she began to walk in the direction of the castle behind them.

"Hotaru just needs a bit of rest. You can go explore the castle if you want just be careful. Let's just say here ghosts of your past takes a whole new meaning" the young girl tossed over her shoulder as the tattooed wings on her back began to glow with a silvery light and turned into angelic wings that appeared on her back. Flapping her wings she began to gain height and flew towards the highest tower of the castle.

Those that had been left behind looked up at Titan Castle the residence of the royal Saturnian family, it was an intimidating structure. The castle was shrouded in dark mist and shadows obscuring its appearance to onlookers creating a gloomy atmosphere.

"Well we might as well go get something to eat" Kaien sighed before leading the group towards the castle.

Once inside the group split up to explore agreeing to meet back in the main entrance in 3 hours.

* * *

 _With Raven_

Princess Tutu landed gently on a black marble balcony that overlooked the remains of the Saturnian kingdom. The small flower boxes that hung over the edges of the railings were now filled with weeds and the dead remains of different plants ranging from blue lilies, lilacs and silvery moonlace (a gift from Princess Serenity during the silver millenium) to different poisonous plants and herbs such as deadly nightshade. With a slight push from her mind the glass doors swung open with a slight squeak, a sign that they hadn't been opened in a very long time. With a soft white flash she detransformed back into her civilian form and entered the room.

The walls and floors were made of the signature black marble of the castle. The bed was a dark ebony canopy bed with dark purple satin sheets and covered in many small light purple cushions. The room was incredibly dark, so Raven carefully carried Hotaru over to the bed and gently laid her down on the mattress. It was a special mattress imported from Elysium the land of dreams; it had special properties to help drive away the shadows that haunted her mind in her sleep. Raven then moved over to a small fireplace in the right corner of the room near the main door that showed signs of old frequent use. With a snap of her fingers to create a single spark the fireplace ignited with warm orange crackling flames. Waving her hand in a short complex set of gestures several streams of fire danced around the room in a flurry of flames, lighting the many candles and lanterns that were scattered around the room bathing the room in warm light.

Now with the room fully illuminated Raven looked around it once more. To the right of the room, she saw a dark vanity table on which a small jewellery box filled with gemstones with healing and protective properties was open, displaying its colourful contents. Next to the fireplace there is a dark brown bookshelf filled will ancient dusty tomes of black magic and in front of the fireplace there was a comfy navy blue armchair perfect to curl up in and discarded on top of the cushions was a small book with a bookmark in it that looks like the reader just put it down for a second and was returning soon.

Raven approached the sleeping form of Hotaru, Hotaru was frowning in her sleep, eyelids fluttering and the sheen of sweat glistened on her pale brow as she shivered. She reached out to softly touch the dark princess' forehead, Raven's eyebrows furrowed in worry at feeling the intense fever that was plaguing the purple haired girl. Waving her hand through the air and chanting she gathered the moisture in the air creating swirls of water that hardened into an icy bowl filled with crystal clear water. A ripping sound echoed through the silent room as Raven ripped the edge of her skirt without hesitation and dipped the frayed cloth in the water bowl that she had created. Raven placed the soft damp cloth on her friends' forehead.

It was a magic induced fever caused by overexertion of magical power. There was nothing to do but wait for it to break.

"Thanks Raven" a familiar voice said.

Raven instantly summoned a dagger to her hand and shifted into a fighting stance ignoring her own exhaustion as she stood protectively in front of Hotaru.

"It's ok Ven it's just me" a see through Hotaru sat on the edge of the bed smiled.

"Hotaru?" Raven stumbled back in surprise looking from the unconscious girl to the spectral ghost in front of her, incomprehension as clear as day on her face.

"Sort of Ven. I'm just a spectre of Hotaru, a small part of her consciousness that wanders around here. I have her memories and personality but as you can see I'm pretty much just a ghost I can't actually do anything" the ghost explained "it seems that there was something that she wanted to tell you."

"What?" the ebony haired girl asked concernedly.

"Thank you so much Raven" Hotaru said in a wavering voice tears beginning to stream down her face "I know that I always promised to be by your side but thank you so much for staying by mine. I know that I'm a monster. I've killed so many and caused so much misery. But you've stayed."

"Of course I stayed Hotaru" Raven said furiously "you're my best friend…no… you're my sister!"

"Thank you" the apparition said again and began to fade.

"Thank you so much Raven."

With tears in her eyes Raven turned back to the unconscious girl lying on the bed and continued to tend to her ignoring the fading phantom.

* * *

 _With Kaien_

Kaien decided that the best course of action would be to go to highest point of the castle to get a better view point of what to do next. Of course now he was almost regretting his decision as it appeared that these stairs would never end as he had been climbing the staircase for the past 10 minutes. It wasn't a complete waste of time though as he passed by several paintings of what looked to be important aristocrats. Looking up once more he was relieved as he finally saw the top of the staircase and managed to muster enough strength to finish the climb.

He was surprised as he recognised the last portrait of the staircase. Unlike many of the other portraits it looked to be newer and was much less eye-catching. Set in a simple wooden frame it was a beautiful young woman set outside in a forest. Her hair was loose pinned back in a half ponytail flowing down her back and a side fringe framed her face. She had ice blue eyes and a warm pink smile. The young woman was wearing a beautiful light blue dress, a black choker with three feathers, black, yellow and white and another necklace that looked to be made out of ice and her hands were toying with a sugar pink flower. It was Raven Hakuchou.

Kaien continued past the portrait to a long hallway where he came across a set of doors carved out of black tourmaline, inscribed with protective runes and set in the doors are many precious stones and Saturnian silver carvings displaying unknown historical scenes. He tried to open the doors but couldn't find any handles and they were too heavy for him to push open. Deciding to ignore the doors he continued down the hallway to find a large painting of what appeared to be the royal family judging by the ornate frame.

The Queen was standing behind a chair, her hand on the shoulder of the girl in front of her, she was a beautiful woman. Her dark purple hair was pulled back into a pony tail, but her hair was so long that it still almost touched the ground and she wore a golden crown. The lavender Saturnian symbol shone brightly on her forehead. She was wearing a soft gauzy black v-neck gown with soft gold embroidery and a gold belt.. She had a warm smile on her face. The King stood to her left, lean and muscular he wore flowing dark robes. He had a regal face and dark eyes and also smiled. A chain necklace with a Saturnian symbol hung from his neck. A younger man stood to their left, a prince. He was incredibly pale and had intense black eyes that shone with a mesmerising evil charisma and shoulder length black hair and work dark robes like his father. He also wore a necklace with a Saturnian symbol on them.

To the parents' right was a pair of almost identical twin girls. The girl on the left had purple eyes, long brown hair and twin side plaits with chain pieces at the ends and she smirked cockily. She wore a navy blue dress and a black choker with a navy blue rose around her neck. On her head she wore a silver circlet with a navy blue gemstone set in it with the Saturnian symbol appearing in the gem in a lighter blue colour. The girl on the right looked entirely identical to her twin but had white hair and pale purple eyes that had a slightly crazed look in them. She wore a white dress identical to her sisters and pale blue roses were tied around her neck. On her silver circlet there was a pale ice blue gemstone set in it with the Saturnian symbol appearing in a darker blue colour.

Finally in the middle of the picture, sitting down was a girl that looked familiar to Kaien. She was a petite girl with short shoulder length dark purple hair, violet eyes and pale skin. She wore a dark purple gown with gloves. On her head she wore a silver tiara with amethysts and on her brow the lavender Saturnian symbol could be clearly seen. Her hands were folded elegantly in her lap and had a small smile on her face.

Kaien recognised this girl. He recognised those violet eyes. He had seen those same eyes, in a wine red colour in his beloved daughter's face.

Continuing down the hallway he saw another staircase. Thankfully this one seemed to be a lot shorter as he climbed it quickly and came to what appeared to be a prayer room. In the middle of this room was a giant purple crystal that shone with unimaginable power. He took a step towards it.

"Stop"

A miniaturised fairy version of Sailor Saturn floated in front of him with a grave expression.

"You are not allowed to go near the crystal" she said fiercely "leave NOW!"

Kaien took a step back in surprise at the tiny fairy.

"Who are you?" his eyes widened in recognition"Yuki dear? Why are you so small? Is this a side effect of using your powers?"

The floating guardian sighed and crossed her arms,

"I am Guardian Saturn; you could call me Sailor Saturn's other self. I am her Sailor Power Guardian." she answered.

"What is this place? What is this crystal Yuki?" narrowing his eyes at the vast amounts of energy that were being admitted by the stone in a purple light.

The guardian looked down at the floor avoiding the man's eyes.

"I'll tell you as much as I can…father… but please… just go back downstairs" she pleaded softly.

"Fine" he agreed and followed the floating spectre down the staircase.

"I guess to answer your first question" she began softly as she bounced through the air as a soft ball of lavender light illuminating the stairwell "that crystal is the sacred Saturnian Stone of Silence."

* * *

 _With Kaname_

Kaname walked by himself through the hallways of the ancient palace. He had sent Seiren to check out another wing of the palace telling her that it would faster if they covered ground separately.

"Mama why can't I go outside?" a small girl asked and he saw up ahead a little girl, with short dark purple hair trying to wipe her eyes with chubby fists.

A woman appeared, a queen judging by the elegant crown she wore on her head knelt before the little girl and gave her a hug and began to stroke her hair.

"You need to say here Firefly where it's safe. Outside the palace people will only treat you with suspicion because of your destiny until you pass on the mantle of Sailor Saturn on to your own daughter" the lady said sorrowfully speaking more to herself than to her young daughter.

"But one day Firefly you will prove them wrong" the apparition looked up and seemed to lock eyes with him "one day you will prove that you are not a monster. You are not a demon. You are an angel, a guardian, a firefly that will light the way for those that are stuck in the darkness"

"Hey Taru-nee" an unknown male spoke which made Kaname turn around "how are you?"

A ghostly image of an older preteen version of the young girl that had just been crying walked through Kaname towards a boy that looked to be about 10 years old.

"I'm fine Hades" she said with a soft smile as the boy ran to give his sister a hug "how was your trip with father?"

"It was pretty boring I don't want to rule the underworld" he whined.

"Hey at least you don't have to rule over the planet little brother" she poked her younger brother's side.

"Well next time why don't you come with us nee-san? I'm sure father won't mind" he said excitedly as he batted away her hands.

"You know I'm not allowed to leave the palace Hades" she answered shaking her head softly "to most people around here it's bad enough that I'm not in constant sleep until I have to perform my duties as a sailor soldier and planetary princess. It'll be much worse if I leave even if it's just to go visit father's kingdom. Besides I like it when you tell me stories about your trips."

"Well then I'll go out more so that I can tell you more stories about what it's like outside" the little boy said determinedly "I'll tell you all about what I see on the Venusian kingdom at the ball next week."

"Ok then now hurry to your next lesson Father was looking for you" she pushed the little boy in the direction of their father.

"See you later Taru-nee" he said waving farewell before running down the hallway.

The apparition watched her little brother before fading away slowly. Kaname continued to walk down the hallway following the ghost of the little boy, Hades.

He came across a different scene. The now young teenage purple haired girl was arguing with a pair of younger identical twins as she tried to shoo them into a small room.

"You need to stay here where it's safe" she ordered them.

"But we can help. We're sailor soldiers too" the one in navy blue said.

"You can't take them on by yourself" the white haired one agreed with her sibling.

"I won't be taking them on by myself" their older sister argued "mother and father are fighting as well as all of the soldiers. We'll be fine girls but it will put us all at ease and we will be able to concentrate better if you're safe."

"You let Hades' fight with you" they protested.

"Hades is the second oldest and he is going to be father's successor to the throne of the underworld. Father was the one that allowed him to fight. If mother and I had our way he'd be right here with you" the purpled haired princess shoved her sisters into the room and shut the door with a spell.

"Hopefully that will keep them occupied for a bit" she mumbled before turning and walking away towards an unknown battle. A young blonde haired boy and a taller black haired teenager walked towards her.

"Please Oz, Gil keep my sisters safe" she pleaded with them.

"Of course your majesty" they agreed with a bow.

"And stay safe yourselves" she implored them before continuing to her next destination and the apparitions faded away.

"That was the last time I ever spoke to them, saw them even" the princess spoke up from behind him causing him to turn around.

"Alice and Alyss were always the most stubborn girls" she said shaking her head softly looking past him where the apparitions had faded "they convinced Oz and Gil to go join the battle. They didn't make it."

"Hello Kaname" her lips turned up softly "it's nice to see you again. Did you have fun watching my memories?"

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"You don't recognise your beloved little sister?" she giggled in a mocking tone.

"I guess you could call me a spiritual manifestation of Hotaru's memories as Princess Hotaru Rhea Saturnia."

* * *

 _With Yori_

Yori eventually found herself outside once more in a barren garden. She entered what looked to be the remains of a long since dead hedge maze and wondered through it. It was eerily quiet as she looked around at the skeletal remains of plants; their bony fingers reaching out towards here gave her an easy feeling. Only the crunch of dried leaves beneath her feet and the faint whisper of the wind kept her company in this desolate place as she continued walking.

It took about half an hour for her to reach the centre of the maze. A giant obsidian coloured mountain of stone rose from the ground in front of her with silver coloured etchings covering it bizarre patterns. It towered over her reaching towards the dark coloured sky trying to touch the stars above. Curiosity got the better of the young girl as she cautiously approached the structure. She gasped as she drew near and the carvings upon closer inspection were revealed to be names. Names in hundreds of languages, an infinite number of titles carved in stone and filled with silver glowed in the dim light.

She raised a hand, about to touch the stone which began to glow with a ghostly light as she drew even closer when someone spoke up from behind her.

"Pretty depressing place huh?"

A short translucent girl was in front of her. She had short dark purple hair, violet eyes and pale skin. She wore a black turtleneck sweater, grey skirt and black stockings. She sat on a simple white marble bench swinging her legs with a carefree attitude as she smiled at Yori.

"Hey Yori-chan" she waved at the shocked girl cheerfully as she hopped off the bench.

"Who are you?" she asked the ghost shakily.

"I'm Hotaru Tomoe" she chirped mischievously "guess I look a bit different from what you're used to huh?"

"A bit?" Yori deadpanned knowing that only Hotaru could act like this in this type of situation,

"This is what I looked like in my second life" she twirled playfully "Hotaru Tomoe, adopted daughter of Michiru Kaiouh a famous violinist, Haruka Tenouh a famous race car driver and Setsuna Meiouh the famous scientist/designer."

Hotaru soon stood next to her taller friend facing the stone.

"This is the famous Saturnian memorial stone," she explained craning her head to look at the million designs that covered the stone "the names of every person that has ever lived is carved here. The silver names represent those that have died and the carved names are those that are still alive."

Looking even closer Yori was able to identify the much smaller carvings that had yet to be filled in with silver.

"You're right."

"Huh?" Hotaru asked confusedly turning her head to face her friend.

"This is a pretty depressing place," Yori explained as she continued to look at the millions of names "but why is there such a thing and why here of all places?"

"Saturn is known as the planet of silence, death and rebirth," Hotaru told Yori "our powers and rituals have come to be known nowadays as black magic. We're very respectful of the dead. The royal family especially it was one of their most sacred duties to watch over the kingdom of the dead."

"People in the silver millennium used to come from all over the galaxy o visit this stone for many different reasons. Some would come to pay their respects to those that they knew had passed on. Others in fear looking for the names of those that they had lost to see if they were still alive," Hotaru's violet eyes met Yori's "so Yori-chan is there anyone that you would like to find on this stone?"

"No," Yori vehemently denied "I'm fine."

"This is a very spiritual place Yori-chan steeped in ancient magic. There is a reason that you found you're way to the memorial stone. So why don't you ask it your question?"

"I told you there is no one I'm looking for."

"It's okay Yori, it's just a stone. There is no harm in asking. If they're alive then that's something to celebrate isn't it? And if they're dead then at least you have closure" Hotaru prodded her friend.

Looking at Hotaru's open expression, the spirit so different from the Hotaru Tomoe that she had grown close to in the recent months but at the same time exactly the same..

"What are you?" she asked dejectedly her shoulders slumping in defeat.

"I'm your friend Yori-chan" Hotaru's ghostly hand reached for the brunette's although the spirit was not corporeal Yori was almost able to fool herself into thinking that the purple haired spirit's touch emitted a comforting warmth.

"Who is that you've come looking for?"

"Is it true that she's really dead?"

"You'll have to ask the stone for yourself that Yori-chan."

* * *

 _With Zero_

Zero unlike the others found himself on a small stone balcony overlooking the barren garden. He looked over the fields of dead plants towards the rapidly shrinking horizon.

"What are you doing here by yourself lazy bum?" a familiar voice teased as a see-through girl came to stand next to him. She leaned her arms against the railing looking at the view in wonder. The shorter girl had a petite slender build and big brown eyes fringed with red. Her chestnut brown hair had red/dark brown hues and reached down to the back of her waist and she wore the trademark black uniform of the Day Class with the white armband carrying the mark of a red rose signifying her position as a member of the disciplinary Committee and the Artemis scythe was strapped to her leg.

"What are you doing here?" he avoided looking at the girl stubbornly staring out at the desolate grounds before them.

"I don't know" she admitted "I don't know why I'm here. But you should know you're the reason I'm here in the first place."

"What are you talking about?"

"Raven told you didn't she? While I was unconscious? Here the ghosts of your past take on a whole new meaning" Yuki explained.

"So you're a ghost."

"Sort of I'm more of a spiritual manifestation of Hotaru's memories. We can be found all around this castle it's a pretty magical place. Lots of black magic seeped into the very stone that this castle is made. I wouldn't be surprised if the others saw other manifestations of my memories."

"A ghost."

"Well if that's what you want to label me as fine I'm a ghost" she turned and using her arms she propped herself up on the railing.

"So what's got you so confused Z?"

"Nothing."

"No lying to me Z" she wagged her finger mockingly scolding him "I'm pretty much a hallucination you might as well tell me the truth."

However Zero refused to give her any satisfaction by responding to her taunts.

"You know the last time I saw the sun rise with you when I was known as Yuki was about a year ago wasn't it?"

Not fazed by the young man's apparent disinterest in her words she continued on.

"Remember that promise we made on that rooftop? I promised that I would keep on running so that you could live."

"…And I promised that I would kill you so that you could be free of this awful curse. So you came back so that I could fulfil my promise but break yours."

"No not exactly Z. It's a bit more complicated than that. I always planned on keeping my promise. That I would keep on running so that you could live. But the fates had something different planned I guess. They do love to make my life miserable; they've got quite a sick sense of humour in my opinion. But when mother told me about this mission I jumped at the chance to come back. I thought I had no regrets when I left. But I did have one regret. You. I missed you Z."

Finally turning his head to acknowledge the spectre he spoke once more "Who are you?"

The spectre flickered and turned into the same Yuki Cross that he had loved so much when they were younger.

"I'm Yuki Cross, the same girl that wiped the blood off you when you came to my doorstep on the snowy night. I'm Yuki Cross the clumsy, naïve girl that always took you for granted but loved you all the same. The same girl that would scold you for being lazy. The same girl that cried when she saw you in pain. The girl that was clumsy and would trip at the worst possible moments. Who got tongue-tied around Kaname but didn't hesitate to laugh with _you_. I'm Yuki Cross the girl that loved you so much that I offered you my blood when you were thirsty. My company when you were lonely."

Once again she flickered to her original appearance.

"I'm Yuki Kuran the pureblood princess of the Kuran family who gave you a bloodstained promise that I would run so that you could live. I'm the pureblood vampire that had the audacity to kiss you and give you my blood so that I could share my feelings for you."

She flickered again her hair turned purple, her eyes turned into dark amethysts and her posture changed as she regally held herself with more confidence.

"And I'm Hotaru Tomoe. The same Hotaru Tomoe that would pour water on you to wake you up if you were late to class. The one that started calling you Z. The girl that would dance in the rain when she thought no one was watching her, when doing group projects would drag you to the rooftop of the dormitory to stare at the sunset and sketch. The girl that loves to stargaze, to tell lame jokes and sprout obscure facts about history. The girl that would wake up in the middle of the night and go to the kitchen for a midnight snack. I'm Hotaru Tomoe the girl that would punch people when they tease me about my height. Who dragged you to go ice-skating and laughed when you fell on your butt. I'm the girl that decided to stop running from my past and went back to that godforsaken academy to face you again. I'm the girl that loves you will all of my heart and soul."

She began to fade entirely "Officially I went back to Cross Academy because I was ordered to. I told myself it was just another mission. But the truth is… actually… I just missed you Zero."

 **Wow almost five thousand words that was a lot more than I expected for this one but yeah lots of fun. As for what they're going at Titan Castle that's not going to be addressed for a very long time but its still fun to write about. Remember not all of these shorts are going to be connected or even in the actual story they're just fun little ideas for me to write about when I'm bored. Please review guys and check out my new tumblr angelofsilencesaturnia I'm going to start posting short things about my stories very soon.**

 **Vkanimeluver632**


	9. Twenty Questions

**AUTHORS NOTE IMPORTANT**

 **Hey guys I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in a while I just finished my finals. I've got to be honest here I am really not going to be focused on writing for the next year as I live in Australia will be in year 12 and sitting my HSC exams so I really need to focus on school work as for the course I'm aiming for I need to get at least 99 for my atar oh joy so yeah if I get free time like over these holidays and the summer holidays I will write even if I'm not on my laptop *cough* daydreams *cough* but yeah I am not going to abandon this story I fully intend to finish it as I have plenty of plans for Hotaru and her friends. Also remember to check out my tumblr angelofsilencesaturnia I have lots of short snippets and headcanons up there for you to check out.**

 **Also important in case I didn't clarify it earlier it has been a year for Zero and everyone at Cross academy but it has been three years for Hotaru since she left due to the time differences of different planets/worlds. Raven joined Hotaru a year after she left the academy.**

 **Please enjoy this short snippet from next chapter which will be a lot longer than usual to make up for not updating in a while.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, Vampire Knight or Princess Tutu**

* * *

 **Twenty Questions**

"What?" the vampire hunter asked surprised at the sudden change of subject.

"Do. You. Want. To. Play. Twenty. Questions?" she repeated slowly.

"Why?"

"Because we're going to be study partners for the rest of the year aren't we? Might as well get to know one another," she rolled her eyes.

"Fine."

"Ok master of monosyllabic sentences lets start off easy how old are you?" she said leaning back against the railing.

"17 turning 18 this year" he answered.

"Ooh 5 words. See we're getting closer already" Hotaru winked.

"Ok then what about you? How old are you?" he asked.

"Now come now Zero don't you know its rude to ask a lady her age?" she fanned herself dramatically,

"You're a lady? I thought that you were a wild child that loved splashing in puddles and dancing in the rain?"

"You saw that?" Hotaru turned the bright red colour of embarrassment.

"Pretty sure many people saw you when you were coming back to the dormitory spinning around like there's no tomorrow. I saw you from a window in my dormitory" he answered.

"Believe it or not that's more Raven's thing then mine she loves the rain. I'm not normally one to dance around in it" she said not meeting his eyes.

"Really?"

"Yeah anyway, 16 turning 17 this year" Hotaru said.

'Well that's the age I'm meant to be turning this year on this planet. Time differences between planets and solar systems are so annoying,' she thought.

"Favourite colour?"

"Not sure I don't really have one" the silver haired boy replied.

"Come on gun to your head no way out what would you say is your favourite colour?"

"I guess blue?"

"Ok then so you don't have to waste a question my favourite colour would be," she looked up at the sky in thought "either midnight blue or a dark emerald green."

"Why?" he asked.

"Why what?"

"Why are those your favourite colours?" he expanded.

"You sure you want that to be your second question?" Hotaru raised an eyebrow before shrugging.

"Midnight blue I guess because it's the colour I always associate with the night sky. I think it's beautiful, dotted with the stars. Entire galaxies and universes as far as the eye can see. It's amazing. I suppose dark emerald green is because I've always associated green as the colour of life. It's the colour of chloroplasts – the colour of _nature_. It's an awesome colour. That and it doesn't clash with my hair."

"Let's see…do you… like chocolate?" she asked.

"Yeah I guess?" he shrugged.

"Oh thank the Lord I would have said we couldn't be friends if you didn't like chocolate" she said clutching her heart dramatically.

"Although I do have some bad experiences with homemade chocolate."

"Really?"

"Yeah I had a friend. On St Xocolatl's Day she gave me this chocolate and it almost made me throw up," Zero chuckled.

"Well I'm sure they didn't mean to give you food poisoning" Hotaru smiled tightly.

"Yeah but I'm pretty sure that her cooking would make a terrifying biological weapon," he said.

"Late, early or right on time?" the silver haired boy asked.

"A wizard never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to" she says sagely.

"Lord of the Rings?"

"Of course I love Gandalf and Aragorn is pretty amazing" her eyes lit up excitedly.

"Orlando Bloom fan?"

"Yes in Lord of the Rings, definitely not in the Trojan War. Paris is so wimpy and cowardly, that and he is the reason Eric Banner and Brad Pitt die" she says immediately.

* * *

 **Thanks again so much guys**

 **Vkanimeluver632**


	10. Walking on Knives

**Planetary Guardian Escapades**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own sailor moon or princess tutu**

 **Walking on Knives**

"Why Raven?" Rue asked curiously sitting next to the swan girl on the wooden bench looking out on the lake that was so similar to another that she danced upon long ago.

"Why not Raven?" the ice blue eyed girl replied as she continued to scatter bread crumbs on the ground.

"You were so determined to beat The Raven I don't understand why you would name yourself after it" Rue admitted.

At that Raven let out a bitter laugh that sounded so wrong coming from the beautiful once so cheerful and happy go lucky girl.

"Name myself after it that's rich," she said "I never really thought of it like that. The Raven was the skeleton in my closet, the monster hiding my bed. I didn't beat it Rue. Drosselmeyer may have been stopped for a time, the Raven may have been slain and you and Mytho may have gotten your happily ever after but I didn't win shit. I won yellow feathers, a bill and the inability to dance."

The swan girl jumped up off the bench and spun around, dancing in the warm sunlight.

"But it's like they say if you can't beat them join them. I chose the name Raven because I decided to stop being weak and accepting the _gift of life_ I had been given" she spat as her movements became more erratic and emotional.

"I chose the name Raven as a sign of strength, the strength that I decided to use to carve my own place in the universe. I gave you guys a happy ending but I refuse to fade into the background forgotten and unnoticed Rue. I thought I loved Mytho but I was wrong. I loved this world and I will walk on knives for the rest of my life if it means that I get to see the world that I love" she said a note of finality in her voice, her hands in a smooth arch above her head as she lowered the leg that had been raised parallel to the ground back down.

Her arms were brought down in a smooth motion and the air around her began to shimmer as if there was a heatwave. A swift flurry of feathers surrounded her as she began to shrink and her body twisted, stretched and morphed until all that was left was a familiar looking black swan that flapped its wings and glided up into the sky.

 **Hi guys pls remember to take a look at my tumblr for more Hotaru and Raven headcanons**

 **\- vkanimeluver632**


	11. A Million Constellations

Hotaru loved star gazing, it didn't matter which life it was she always loved looking up at the stars. She could never sleep at night so when most people would be asleep she would always climb to the highest point that she could find and look up at the infinite number of worlds that blazed across the sky in an indescribable array of sparkling lights.

In her first life she kept on giving her parents heart attacks with her disappearances but it was well known amongst the royal family that she would most likely be found in the Nox Tower listening to the whispers of the stone of silence and watching the night sky in awe. Sometimes when she was younger her father would join her, setting her on top of his broad shoulders and he would point out the many different constellations teaching her how to find her way using the stars to guide her.

What she loved most though was no matter where you are. The Moon Kingdom. Earth. Even on the small rooftop of Cross Academy was that they were always there.

They weren't always the same stars. Many of them had been snuffed out over the years, through the natural course of time or lost to the darkness. And of course you could see different stars depending on where you were. But it was nice to look out at the cosmos and admire it. To pretend that she was just a tiny speck in the grand scheme of things and forget that she could probably snuff out all of those brilliant worlds if she had to. The stars and all the lives that they represented were thousands of miles away from her reach and she could pretend that the distance protected their beauty from her rage.

It was so much simpler. Just her and the beautiful cloudless starry night sky.


	12. Keep it a secret?

**Just a small idea I'm working on for the Nemesis arc**

"Close your eyes" was what she told him what felt like two hours ago and it didn't seem like they were stopping at any time soon.

He could have sworn that at one point they teleported and that now they were just walking in circles but when he voiced this she just laughed it off.

"Don't worry Z it's just through here. Duck down so you don't hit your head. Ok now you can stand up straight."

She then snapped her fingers and the shadow blindfold that was covering his eyes disappeared.

"You can open your eyes."

They were standing in a small clearing filled with wildflowers and at the centre was a jacaranda tree in full bloom. The purple blue flowers almost glowed in the silvery moonlight. She pulled on his hand that was still in hers and they approached the tree. Sitting down at the base of the trunk she told him to look up.

It was amazing a glorious symphony of stars across a magnificently dark sky painting the milky way across the sky.

"This is one of my favourite places to get away from everything. Promise me you'll keep it a secret?"


	13. Her biggest what if

**Just a short snippet for Hotaruxsurprise pairing**

 **Her biggest what if**

Interspersed throughout the year there are many festivals celebrated in Crystal Tokyo celebrating various planets and their traditions. One of the biggest ones right after the Lunarian and Terran festivals is of course the Venusian festival which is celebrated on what used to be known as Valentine's Day.

Hotaru had only ever celebrated the festival once.

It was a fun festival filled with laughs and smiles. Chocolates and flowers were exchanged, selfies posted online and kisses shared when no one was looking. There were many stalls selling presents that could be given to loved ones and at the end of the night brilliant fireworks lit up the night sky.

There was a small stall near the Hikawa shrine. It sold crystals that were said to bring good fortune in romantic endeavors and had a small sign that said that the owner did fortune telling as well.

It was meant to be a bit of fun but the second that Hotaru saw the owner she knew that they were special.

There was hidden knowledge that gleamed in their knowing eyes as they scanned each couple that walked past.

They asked about the fortune telling.

"I can see the red string of fate that ties soul mates together through all eternity."

Hotaru refused.

She didn't want her fate to be controlled any more than it already was. Her life was already decided for her. Who she finds love with didn't need to be decided as well.

Now let it be said as her thoughts wonder that Hotaru loves Zero. But even as she watches her husband sleep wrapped up in the warm embrace of his arms there was still the little niggling doubt of what if.

She would always be Hotaru's biggest what if.

 _"Don't you want to know if we're soulmates? It's just a bit of harmless fun."_

 _"I don't need a scam to tell me who I'm in love with" Hotaru shook her head before linking their hands together, their fingers interlocking perfectly as if made for one another and pulled her in the direction of another stall._


	14. I'm sick of feeling useless

**Prompt: "I'm sick of feeling useless!" and a small peek at one of my favourite ocs also Saturnian is going to be in Italian. Now please note I cannot speak Italian I am using google translate which is why it is only going to be used for really small phrases and spells so I am really sorry for any mistakes.**

"You're not useless."

"Raven's gone because of me. Because I was too weak and scared and wrapped up in my stupid fucking past to deal with it."

The sound of Elle's slap resounded through the empty hallway

"Now listen here Hotaru-hime. You are not some weak, scared damsel in distress. You are a Sailor Senshi. You are one of the most powerful warriors in the universe. So you've had a bad month. So you've made a few mistakes. Who hasn't. What matters right now is that you move on. Because Lady Raven's life depends on it" the red eyed girl said.

"And why should I trust you? You're an _agente ombra_. Why should I trust someone who doesn't even have the guts to show me their real face" Hotaru spat.

"You don't have to trust me. That's not why I'm here. I'm here because Serenity-sama requested it. But you're going to listen to me because if you don't then Raven will die. That is the one thing I guarantee you can trust me on" Elle replied calmly.

"Fine."


	15. Purple HairIMPORTANTAN

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE PLEASE READ**  
 **Ok so it's been a while and I've decided to add and change a few things to the story which is why I am once again rewriting what has already been published. I'm adding a couple ocs which is a new concept for me but I decided to try it because I've decided to write the events that occur from when Hotaru leaves Cross Academy to when she returns and I have outlined a lot more things to expand on the characters and their relationships. AOS is still going to end as a HotaruxZero story but there is going to be another surprise pairing for Hotaru that I am actually really excited to write.**  
 **So the new timeline for the story is:**

 **Prologue**

 **Rido Arc (set in Cross Academy)**

 **Mahoutokoro Arc (set in Crystal Tokyo)**

 **Blood Puppets Arc (set in Cross Academy)**

 **The World is Grey (set in Cross Academy**

 **Nemesis Arc (set in surprise location)**

 **Epilogue**

 **Now on to the short snippet**

Purple is an unnatural hair colour for a human. But Zero guesses that she isn't really human after all. It wasn't the purple colour that he imagined when he was first warned that Hotaru Tomoe had purple hair. It's a dark purple, and in the dark away from direct light he could almost imagine it as black. It was unnatural. But that's why it suited her.

Hotaru was an anomaly. An enigma. And it was obvious she got some amusement out of it. She never tried to hide her colouring in fact it could be said that her hair was one of her favourite features as she was always playing with it. That didn't mean it didn't hurt her when people said that it was weird. That she was weird. But she would always shake it off moments later.

He asked her about it once and she gave him a smile that he had never seen on her face before. It was soft and her eyes had a nostalgic look.

"Someone once told me that they liked the colour" was all that she said on the matter lost in memories.

"I really like your hair Tenshi it's such a pretty colour."

 **Thanks for reading :)**


	16. Consequences

**A sneak peak for the Mahoutokoro arc**

 **Consequences**

"Don't come any closer" Hotaru snarled at the woman standing in the corner. She was tall, but she slouched over so that she looked to be the same height as Hotaru. She had honey gold eyes that gleamed in the darkness of the room and had flowing black hair that fell past her shoulders. The woman's face could almost be described as regal, however the right side of it had rotted away revealing muscle and bone. She reeked of pus, blood and sickness and her pale chiton was dripping with blood from open wounds that never closed. On her back loomed dark feathered wings, with every movement feathers fell to the ground.

"You have no power here Guardian" the woman said as she took a step closer.

"I said don't come any closer" Hotaru's forehead blazed with the symbol of Saturn as she erected a lavender shield around herself and the hospital bed behind her.

"I mean you no harm Hotaru. I'm just here to do my job" the woman burst out in anger.

"I know what you're here for Keres and you will not get her soul!"

"It's her time. I know that you love her and that you made a promise but you know the rules Hotaru Rhea Saturnia. You are a goddess of death just as much as I am," the Keres implored the girl to listen to reason.

"I won't let her die."

"She's already dead. Look at her. She's suffering. Let me grant her peace."

"No. She's not dead I can heal her," Hotaru turned back to the bed.

"Think about what you're saying."

"Keres what's the point of having all of this power if I can't even save one little girl" Hotaru whispered.

"This is your decision my dear. I've told you my thoughts. Just remember though that the Fates will not be happy if you defy them. This will have consequences."

"If it means that for once I can save a life instead of taking it then I'm willing to accept what it is the Fates deem fit to curse me with."

"You have forgotten what it means to be the Guardian of the Midnight Gate Sailor Saturn. Mark my words you will curse this day for the rest of your existence," and with that the Keres stepped back into the shadows once more and faded away.


	17. Rainbow Irises

**Rainbow Irises**

Hotaru's favourite thing about _her_ was her eyes. They were a kaleidoscope of colours constantly changing and they showed more about what she was thinking than words could describe.

When she was amused they gleamed a beautiful gold that stood out on her face and when she was laughing until she cried they were a bright sunshine yellow.

When she was angry they were a darker red then Hotaru's own when she was overtaken by bloodlust.

When she was sad at a movie they were a pale blue and when she was plagued with grief they were a stormy grey blue.

When she was jealous they were a jade green that Hotaru found pretty and sometimes teased her about.

When she was hateful they were black. Hotaru only saw that colour once and it broke her heart to see it.

And the last time she ever saw them they were grey the same as any other spirit.

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Just a reminder that I'm not going to be adding anything new to My Name is Raven or Angel of Silence until next year probably as I need to get through my HSC and decide what I want to do with my future hahaha... As for the inconsistencies in My Name is Raven keep in mind that I was around 12 years old when I started writing that story definitely not my best work and it will be a long time before I get back to it. It's mainly up to give some backstory for Raven. To be honest I'm not really in these fandoms anymore but I didn't want to leave my stories unfinished and I really like writing them as a sort of stress relief because exams are terrifying things.**

 **As for who the girl in the hospital bed guess you're just going to have to wait and see I'm really enjoying writing the Mahoutokoro arc :) There's going to be a lot of surprises and twists that you won't be expecting.**

 **Also just out of curiosity where did you the 'killed him' thing from because I don't remember writing that although that definitely has given me some really good ideas for the Nemesis arc :)**

 **\- vkanimeluver632**


	18. Fire and Ice

**Fire and Ice**

After Hotaru rescued Raven and brought her to Crystal Tokyo Raven became a practitioner of ancient magics.

The first magic that Raven learnt was water magic. She learnt to manipulate the water already available in the air and morph it into the shapes that she wanted. She learnt how to make it dance around her in glittering swirls gathering it in her fingers in blue ribbons and she blew bubbles as easily as kisses. Reflections hidden in rippling water became mirrors to other places in the galaxy.

But she never mastered it.

The first magic that she mastered was ice magic.

After learning how to wield water it became obvious that Raven needed to learn control and so she was thrust into Ami's tutelage.

The cold frost clicked with Raven in a way that water never did. She discovered it the first time she danced on the ice with Hotaru. Gliding on the frozen water she felt a beauty and elegance that she had only felt before when she was Princes Tutu. Ice magic was less fluid than water magic it was more stable. The cold was comforting to Raven and she appreciated the sharper shapes of the frozen water, the uniqueness of each snowflake that she conjured.

Mercury was a harsh instructor expecting nothing less than perfection as she moulded and carved the frost into shields to protect and spikes to pierce.

Ice magic called to her with a siren's song and she answered it eagerly.

The second magic that she mastered couldn't be more different.

Fire.

Ice magic was rigid and controlled. It had a cold and meticulous beauty that reminded Raven of the dances that she sought to master when she was Ahiru.

Fire magic on the other hand was passion. It was creativity and wild inspiration. It was moving to the sound of music that only she could hear and it was unstoppable. It was all consuming and fiercely, terribly beautiful in its ambition to end everything. And when she danced the ancient Martian dances she had the untameable elegance of a phoenix.

Fire was freedom.

It was breaking free from the chains of rules and expectations and Rei taught Raven to burn with the passion and courage of a thousand suns.

Fire flowed out of her mouth like dragon's breath and sparks flew from her fingers. Ash the same dark black as her hair was left in wake of her anger as the sacred flame whispered its secrets in her ears.

Raven was the mistress of ice and fire.

Raven Hakuchou the Frost Dragon.


	19. We could kill him

**brotp EllexShikixRima**

 **Also this has been in the workings for the while I really love Elle so much I'm so excited for her to appear but she most likely won't until at least the World is Grey arc**

 **We could kill him**

"You know this would be so much easier if we could just kill the guy" Elle sighed as she leant back on the couch and closed her eyes.

"He's Hotaru's brother" Shiki pointed out "regardless of their differences I get the feeling she won't be happy if we killed the guy.

"I was kidding" Elle replied bluntly opening one eye to stare blankly at him.

"I know."

"But he is getting in the way of the mission" Elle stretched her back with a groan.

"What do you suggest we do about him then?" Rima asked as she leant over to take a bite of the pocky stick Shiki was offering.

"Well you've already shot down my first suggestion so I guess I have to move on to plan B."

"And that is?"

Elle opened her eyes and gave them a predatory smile.

"Well…"


	20. Warriors

Warriors

Hotaru had never really been innocent. From the moment that she took her first breathe as she held in the arms of her mother she could feel the souls that passed through the midnight gate. Hotaru was raised as a warrior, one in a long line of warrior queens. She could recite the many different uses of herbs, from how it could be used in the most powerful healing potions, to the most deadliest of poisons. Her hands which she used to soothe the sick and wounded and crush the chains of the oppressed could just as summon the wrath of hell upon all who dared to cross her path

But she never really realised what it meant to hold life in one hand and death in the other. She truly lost the mindest of a child the day she realised the true repercussions of using her powers.

All because she wanted to save just one person.

She never wanted to go through that again.

And so she refused to let those that managed to force their way through the shields around her heart to run on to the battlefield half-blind.

Hotaru grew into a warrior queen without a crown, a monarch without a kingdom. Her kingdom was the departed whose cries echoed eternally in her ears for vengeance and forgiveness and peace.

In the eternal game of chess she was a pawn that through blood and sweat and tears became a queen. Let it never be said that Hotaru did not know the sting of loss, the pain of death and she held her head high like her mother before her in the face of cruel rumours and spite.

She refused to welcome anymore friends into her kingdom before their true time. So she forced herself to learn the ancient arts and taught them to those that had the will and determination to join her. To weave protective enchantments with the same precision as Athena weaved cloth, to cast blood boiling curses and bone breaking hexes at those that dared to attack the unprotected backs of their comrades.

Those that stayed by her side did so with utmost loyalty.

They laughed and joked with her and kept her spirits high even when all she wanted to do was crumple into a heap of the ground and scream no more. Watching them live their lives, smiling, laughing achieving their dreams, Hotaru didn't regret helping change them from children to warriors.

Because in the end if it saved their lives that was the only thing that mattered.


	21. Karma Ishikawa

**Hi guys I know its been a while but here's an excerpt about one of the new ocs that I've created that I really love.**

If someone asked Hotaru to describe Karma Ishikawa unique and interesting would be the two adjectives that Hotaru would automatically go for. Of course Hotaru only had the pleasure of meeting the old man a handful of times but the fact that he didn't choose to abhor Hotaru like the rest of the planet for his status as a Saturnian certainly put the batty old Plutonian in the young vampire's good books.

Karma was a tall old man with olive skin and dark green hair typical of his heritage that was cut in a short pixie cut. However unlike Setsuna he had molten golden eyes that were slightly cloudy. Once Karma had revealed to her that he blindness was the result of him sacrificing the present to see the future. It was the price of his pride in his visions and prophecies although he rarely shared them with anyone and the consequences had certainly humbled him.

The Plutonian was a rare soul in Hotaru's opinion, taking pride in throwing stereotypes out the window when he first revealed his status as a transgender man and Hotaru had proudly supported him.

He was also one for surprises.

Once he told her that he had been a photographer. He had loved taking photographs, freezing happy moments forever in his pictures. She had been privileged enough to be shown the few that he had left from before he had lost his sight. They were amateur shots, some of flowers, some of beaches and cities and some of the night sky.

Karma Ishikawa was an interesting old man.

 **Still writing guys I've actually been having a lot of fun with creative writing in class which is the only component of English that I'm actually confident with. Hopefully I will have more up soon. Thanks again**

 **\- Vkanimeluver632**


	22. Bloody Words

**Possible snippet of an important part of the World is Grey arc**

A week.

If Raven had counted the days correctly she had been here for a week. But she couldn't be completely sure. It was getting harder for her to tell what was a dream and what was reality, and it was that thought that terrified her the most.

She didn't know where she was most of the time. There were no windows, only doors leading down dark dusty hallways that she didn't recognise.

Sometimes she wake up in an unknown bedroom, or one of the many identical rooms full of dusty bookshelves. At one point she picked up one of the books to read, it was written in ancient Terran and from the little that she was able to translate from her lessons she chose to never pick up one of the books again.

But it didn't scare her as much as the walls.

Sometimes when she was awake she would come across sentences scrawled in scarlet written in a mixture of English, Japanese, Mercurian and many other languages that she recognised and could read.

 _I don't know what I'm doing/Where am I/ Why can't I leave/don't trust the bogeyman/he's a traitor kill him/I'm not awake am I/Why can't I remember where I'm going/None of this is real/Help me/I'm scared…_

Her heart raced in fear the first time she realised that her own hands were covered in the same scarlet. Her nails were ripped and her dress was torn. She didn't remember writing any of those words nor what happened to her hands and clothing.

And of course there was the voice.

"You can't block me out little duckling" the sultry voice whispered in her ear regardless of how hard she pressed her hands against her eyes as she squeezed her eyes shut.

She didn't know why but a part of her knew that it would all be over if she opened her eyes.

"There is no escape little one. I'm a part of you now and eventually you will give in. Together we will make such delicious _chaos_ ," it sang trying to soothe her frazzled nerves as she sobbed and attempted to run from the shadows that followed her.


	23. You Look Like Her

"You remind me of her sometimes" a voice came out of nowhere.

At that Hotaru looked up from her sketchbook, the charcoal pencil in her hand pausing from shading the belladonna flowers that she had been drawing. "Who?"

"Your mother" Kaien stated as he sat down on the bench next to her.

At that Hotaru snorted.

"Yeah I gathered that after Rido tried to kidnap me because she rebuffed him several times because he was a creepy sadist." Her blunt assessment caused Kaien to chuckle and hum in agreement as he looked out at the garden that Hotaru spent her spare time cultivating before settling his gaze back on his daughter.

Yes Hotaru certainly did look like Juri. He could see it clearly in her slender stature and the delicate features of her face. But her eyes no her eyes were from Haruka. They held the same kindness as the pureblood vampire that he had met only once so long ago. Of course Hotaru was still very different from her mother, with her penchant for black magic and poisons.

"Yes that is true. But I meant more your personality. You're both very driven, loyal, uncompromising," he explained and Hotaru ignored how he still spoke of her mother in present tense "and stubborn."

Raven sleeping in one of the flower beds, having been told that she wasn't to strain any of her injuries. Aido was sitting next to her, making sure she was comfortable as he weaved a flower crown of violets and carnations with skilful fingers, trying to keep his hands busy. Hotaru ignored Zero's eyes fixated on her from where he was sitting down, his back against a willow tree. It had been a long time since they could rest and heal.

"Sometimes I think about what would have happened if I hadn't chosen to come back," she admitted, "if I had chosen to just let go of the past and never looked back."

"I would be surprised if you didn't," he replied easily not surprised in the least by her admission "but I'm glad that you came back home."

Minako and Usa-mama had been right that it was good for her to go back and her lips curled.

"I'm not sure if I would call Cross Academy home."

"Well they do say that home is where the heart is," and to Hotaru's astonishment he waggled his eyebrows and looked pointedly at Zero.

At that she burst out laughing.


	24. I Can Protect Myself

It was a surprise for Mytho to discover that Raven was an archer and he certainly had never expected Hotaru to tell him that Raven was practising at the archery range that morning. He had never actually seen her fight before and so he certainly wasn't prepared for the sight of the former duck standing confidently with a silver bow in her hand and a quiver full of several arrows over her shoulder. The weapons certainly looked out of place considering she was in a dark blue sundress and brown gladiator sandals.

"Good morning sleeping beauty" she greeted him with a wide grin that barely masked the worry in her gaze.

"Good morning Raven. I'm a bit afraid to ask this but what's with the weapons."

"A girl has to be able to protect herself Mytho-" she winked "-not everyone gets a knight in shining armour or a beautiful dancing princess to watch over them."

At that he snorted.

"I'm sure if you asked he wouldn't mind protecting you."

Raven's ice blue eyes flashed with something akin to regret for a second, her bright smile never faltering.

"He has his own girl to occupy his time with. Nah don't worry about little old me I can take care of myself just fine."

With that she got into a confident stance, notched an arrow and pulled the drawstring back showing off her surprising strength. Aiming carefully the arrow flew swiftly flew the air and landed dead centre in the middle of the target.

"Somehow I don't doubt that" he replied causing her grin to become wider as she lowered the bow and offered it to him.


End file.
